Method and apparatus for making wall board



July 16, 1929. c. PAYNE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING WALL BOARD Filed Feb. 1e, 1924 Patented July 16, 1929.

UNlTEU STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CALEB PAYNE, F CHIGAGQ, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 GYPSUM ENGINEERING t MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, 0F CHICAG, IILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF IlIiLITrl'GISn METHOD .aan minnares non. MAKING WALL Bonne.

Application led February 18,1924. Serial Ne. 693,528.

i This invention relates gto the manufacture of a structural material which I call Wall board to take the place of partition blocks and plaster board. The Wall board is made cfa hydrated cernentitious material-Which l refer to generally as stucco, reinforced and strengthened in accordance with my invention and generally enclosed in a paper covering. And While it is intended for such l@ structural and other uses to which partition blocks and plaster board are now employed,

-it is superior to partition blocks because it can be made in sections of greater width and length and of less thickness; it is more l5 economical to install; and it should reduce the cost ol manufacture. It is superior to plaster board because it has greater strength and rigidity than plaster board and does not require studdinp; or other means for support ingit. f v

The Wall board, as an article of manufacture, has a plurality of openings extending longitudinally therein and' lined with paper or other suitable material in tubular orm which reinforces and strengthens the body et the wall board, and this forms the. subliect metterci my companion application', Serial No. 693,527, filed February 18, 1924.

The object of the invention is to make Wall board for use as a structural material and with longitudinally extending openings therein in a simple and economical manner, as a continuous operation, and in such predetermined Width and thickness as may be required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hollovv core for farmingA each of the openings in the wall board and preferably to remain therein as a permanent part'of the wall board. A And a further object of the invention is to reinforce and strengthen the Wall board by the provision of a reinforcement in. the longitudinal openings of the Wall board and which is preferably bonded to the Walls of the openings.

ln the accompanying drawings, I have i1'- lustrated an apparatus which can be employed 'for' carrying out my improved method and rei'erring `thereto Fig/1 is an elevation, partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a. plan view, partly in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a former for making the tubular reinforcement.-

Fig. 4 illustrates the Way the reinforce ment is made.

Fig'. 5 isa transverse sectional view of the wall-board.

Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating;l another embodiment of the invention.

A roller bed 5 is supported in a suitable manner, and a belt 6 travels over the rolls and over a portion of the roller bed. lin other belt 8 travels over rolls 9 above thebelt 6. A plurality of mandrels 10 are mounted in a frame 11 and they project forward between the belt-s 6 and 8, being; spaced apart in a predetermined manner, which may vary as conditions Will require. A pluralityof rolls 12 carrying a supply of strip paper or other suitable material are supported prefer ably at an elevation above the rear ends of the mandrels. and the strips 12 travel from the supply rolls over roll 13 and thence into the iormers located on the mandrels. Each of these iformers comprises a conical section 14 and a tubular section 15, the two sections being suitably connected and the tubular seeu tion being` slightly larger than the mandrel. The paper strip travels into the conical sec tion and the curved Wall of this section causes the strip to curl transversely until, at

the neck formed at the juncture between the two sections 14'and 15 the paper is caused. to curl or Wrap itself around the mandrel, changing from the flat strip 12 to the tubu lar core 12 (Fig. 4).

It is desirable that the overlapped mar final edges ot the paper strip should he adn hered and this may be done in various Ways. The paper stripmay be provided with ad hesive alone; one marginal edge and this adhesive may be moistened by a moistening roller 16 supplied with water. from a tank 17- and located between the roll l'and the former 14 to meisten the adhesive on the strip suliiciently so that when the marginal edges arerovcrlapped, as shown in Fig.. 4, the adhesive will cement the marginal edges together during `the passage ef the core through the tubular section 15. But to insurev adhesion of the marginal edges I may also provide a spring finger 18 mounted on strip 23, but at present I prefer using paper already supplied with adhesive at one `marginal edgebecause I realize the diiiiculties of applying adhesive to the strip as it passes into the former. v

I prefer to enclose the wall board in a I paper covering and for this purpose a supply roll 19 is suitably supported and a paper strip 20 therefrom travels over a roll 21, beneath the formers and mandrels and over the belt 6. Another paper roll 22 is suitably supported and the paper strip 23 there from travels over a roll 24 and beneath the belt 8. As the strip 20 passes from the roller 21, its marginal edges engage guides 25 and rollers 26 which turn up sides 27 on the strip 2() to form a trough for retaining the stucco on the strip and to cover the side edges of the wall board. The marginal edges of thestrip 23 engage guides 28 which turn down sides 29 on. the strip 23 to overlap the sides 27 on the strip 2() whereby the stucco body is wholly enclosed within a paper covering. The guides 25 will, of course, be located between the bed 5 and the guide roller 21, so that the strip 20 will be `formed into a. trough before the strip re' ceives the stucco; and the `guides 28 will, of course, be located beyond the belt 8 to turn down the overlapping sides 29 after the body has been formed.

The stucco 30 is carried to the apparatus on a belt 31 and is discharged upon the cores and the strip 20 thereunder, said strip being supported by the belt 6, which in. turn 'is supported by the rolls 7-7 and the roller bed 5. rll`he stucco is at once carried for ward beneath the roll 24 which operates as a guide roll for the strip 23 and also as a spreading or distributing roll for the stucco; but the customary screed may be provided in addition to the roll 24 if it should be 4found desirable.

It will be noted that the tubular 'cores are Completely formed on the mandrels when they receive the stucco and the mandrels preferably extend sufficiently forward to form a firm and rigid support for the cores while the board is being formed. The cores are of' sufficient strength to resist any tendency to crush after they leave the mandrels, and by which time the wall board has taken its shape, and t-hey form a support for the body while the stucco is setting. The stucco will bond the overlapping marginal edges of the paper strips and also bond the cores to the body.

I have not shown the operating mechanism because that may be provided in many different ways to meet many different conditions. The invention provides a simple apparatus for making wall board in a con- `tinuous`- length and having longitudinal openings therein lined with material to strengthen and reinforceh the body and at vthe same time enclosing the body in a paper covering, which I believe will be found to be the most desirable embodiment of the invention.

The operation of the ;apparatus may be as rapid as found desirable, consistent with satisfactory work, and after the operation begins the core ma'terial will be drawn from the rolls and formed into cores and caused to travel forward by the body of the wall board as thc body is made.

If it is desired to make a wall board similar to a partition block and embodying my reinforcing cores, for such uses as partition blocks are-now put, or for other uses, I may dispense with the paper rolls 19, 21, 22 and 24e, and the paper strips 2() and 23 and also with the belt 8 and the rolls 9-9 and provide the customary screed at or about the position of the roll 24 for distributing and spreading the stucco.. `In such case I would provide side belts 32 (Fig. 6) traveling on a plurality of rolls 33 at the side edges of the belt 6 to support the stucco and form the side edges of the body. The belts 6 and 32 would'be of shiiicient length to support the body untill the wall board becomes self-supporting, whereupon the wall board would be delivered on to a suitable conveyor which may be a continuation of the roller bed 5.

In the manufacture of partition blocks, it has been customary heretofore to mold the Cores on mandrels (generally termed cores) which are drawn from the block after it is molded, at some stage of the setting.

I avoid the difficulties involved in the use of mandrels, (or cores) in this manner which are known in the art, and likewise avoid the necessity for the use of more or less complicated machinery and also the great waste that occurs in the manufacture of blocks in this way. By making the hollow cores upon which the body is formed, and preferably supporting the hollow cores on the mandrels during at least the initial part of the body forming` step` I entirely eliminate the difficulties presented in connection with the use of cores in the manufacture of partition blocks and in withdrawing" the cores from the blocks during the manufacture thereof, because, in the first place, my cores vare never Withdrawn from the body, but are formed in and remain in the body for all time, and in the second place, because the mandrels constitute only a sup` port for and they are entirely covered by and enclosed in the cores, so that they are wholly lill) unaffected by and do not come in contact with the stucco material. This is a very important step in the manufacture of my wall board aside from the importance of the cores `as reinforcements for the Wall board, and it tion, Whether or not it is covered With paper,

and regardless of its size and thickness; and this would speciiically include a comparatively thin material covered with paper or the like, probably in most cases thinner than partition blocks and thicker than plaster board, for use as a structural material, as Well as a material more or less like the commercial partition blocks which are generally made, so'far as l am aware, Without any covering and which are of a substantial thickness.

It will be understood that my invention is valuable for making a new vvall board such as l have heretofore defined, and is also Vahlable for making a Wall board-similar to the ordinary partition block, in such sizes `as may be demanded, because of the facility which the cores provide. for making the openings in such Wall board; the cores performa double function of facilitating the formation of the Wall board, of Whatever character it may be, and also of reinforcing ythe Wall board.

l have shown an apparatus suitable for practieine, the method herein described, but appreciate that various changes may be made in this apparatus to satisfy different conditions, and I consider myself entitled to make all such changes as fairly fall Within the scope of the following claims.

li claim:

l. A continuous method of making Wall board which consists in forming paper cores continuously and* moving the cores lengthwise as they are formed, depositing cementitions material upon and about the cores, and moving the cemcntitious material along With the cores and forming it to the shape and dimensions of the body of .the Wall board as it moves along. l

2. rh continuous method of making Wall board which consists in forming paper cores continuously on a plurality of mandrels and moving the cores lengthwise ofthe mandrels as the cores are formed, depositing cementitions material upon and above the cores While they are on the mandrels and moving the cementitious material along with the cores and forming it to the shapeand dimensions of the body of the Wall board as it moves along, and applying paper sheets to the sides of the body as it is formed.-

3. `A continuous methodv of lmaking Wall board Which consists in forming paper cores continuously on a plurality of mandrels and moving the cores lengthwise of the mandrels as the cores are formed, depositing-cementitions material upon and above the cores while they are on the mandrels and moving the cementitious material along with the cores and forming it to the shape and dimensions of the body ofthe Wall board as it moves along, and enclosing the body in a paper covering as it is formed.

4. An apparatus for making Wall board,

comprising a suitable bed, a mandrel sup` ported above the bed; a core former on said mandrel, means for supplying core material to the Vmandrel and former to be formed l thereby intol a tubular core, means for delivering a hydrated cementitious material upon the core, and means for forming the body Iof the wall board on said core.

5. Au apparatus for making Wall board comprising a bed, a mandrel supported above the bed, a former comprising a conical secf tion arranged on the mandrel, means for supplying core material to the mandrel and former to be formed thereby 'into 'a core, means for delivering hydrated cementitious material upon the core, and means for forming the body of the Wall board upon the core.

6. An apparatus for making 'wall board, comprising a bed, a mandrel supported above the bed, a former on the mandrel and com'- prising a conical section and a cylindrical section, means for supplying core material to the mandrel and former tobe formed thereby into a tubular core, means for delivering hydrated cementitious material to the core, and means for forming the bodyl of the VWall board on the core. y

7. An apparatus for making Wall board comprising a bed, `a mandrel supported above the bed, a former on the mandrel, means for supplying core material to the mandrel and former to be formed thereby into a tubular core, means for adhesively afiiXing the overlapping edges of the core,

means for delivering hydrated cementitious material to the core, and means for forming the body of the Wall board upon the core.

8. An apparatus for making wall board comprising a bed, a mandrel suported above the bed, means for formina hollow core on the mandrel, means for de iveringhydrated cementitious material upon the core While on the mandrel, and means for forming the body of the Wall board on the core.

9, apparatus for making Wall board comprising bed, a mandrel supported above the bed, means for forming a hollow core .on the mandrel., means for delivering hydrained cementtious material upon the core whil on the mandrel, and means for forming the body of the Wall board on the core and at the same time moving the Wall board. through the apparatus.

core, means for forming the body of the 10 Wall board on the core, and means for applying a covering to the body of the wall board.

CALEB PAYNE. 

